We
Indians are the products of one of the oldest civilisations. We need to be
really proud of our ancient history and cultural heritage. However, during
the British Rule, we developed an inferiority complex, which adversely
affected our quest to unearth facts relating to our glorious past. But our
young and educated men and women, born and brought up in independent India,
are capable of unearthing the true facts and are confident enough to
evaluate these objectively.

Shri Ram being most basic to Indian "ethos", it is necessary to know who is
Shri Ram? Was he really born? If yes, when and where? As is believed by
crores of people did he really put his feet on the Indian territory from
North to South, reducing the sufferings of mankind and ensuring victory of
good over evil? Let us take a look at historical facts:

The
story of Shri Ram's life was first narrated by Maharishi Valmiki in the
Ramayana, which was written after Shri Ram was crowned as the king of
Ayodhya. Maharishi Valmiki was a great astronomer as he has made sequential
astronomical references on important dates related to the life of Shri Ram
indicating the location of planets vis-a-vis zodiac constellations and the
other stars (nakshatras). Needless to add that similar position of planets
and nakshatras is not repeated in thousands of years. By entering the
precise details of the planetary configuration of the important events in
the life of Shri Ram as given in the Valmiki Ramayan in the software named
"Planetarium" corresponding exact dates of these events according to the
English calendar can be known.

Mr Pushkar Bhatnagar of the Indian Revenue Service had acquired this
software from the US. It is used to predict the solar/lunar eclipses and
distance and location of other planets from earth. He entered the relevant
details about the planetary positions narrated by Maharishi Valmiki and
obtained very interesting and convincing results, which almost determine the
important dates starting from the birth of Shri Ram to the date of his
coming back to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile.

Maharishi
Valmiki has recorded in Bal Kaand sarga 19 and shloka eight and nine
(1/18/8,9) that Shri Ram was born on ninth tithi of Chaitra month when the
position of different planets vis-a-vis zodiac constellations and nakshatras
(visible stars) were: i) Sun in Aries; ii) Saturn in Libra; iii) Jupiter in
Cancer; iv) Venus in Pisces; v) Mars in Capricorn; vi) Lunar month of
Chaitra; vii) Ninth day after no moon; viii) Lagna as Cancer (cancer was
rising in the east); ix) Moon on the Punarvasu (Gemini constellation & Pllux
star); x) Day time (around noon).

This data was fed into the software. The results indicated that this was
exactly the location of planets/stars in the noon of January 10, 5114 BC.
Thus Shri Ram was born on January 10, 5114 BC (7121 years back). As per the
Indian calendar it was the ninth day of Shukla Paksha in Chaitra month and
the time was around 12 to 1 noontime. This is exactly the time and date when
Ram Navmi is celebrated all over India.

Shri
Ram was born in Ayodhya. This fact can be ascertained from several books
written by Indian and foreign authors before and after the birth of Christ -
Valmiki Ramayan, Tulsi Ramayan, Kalidasa's Raghuvansam, Baudh and Jain
literature, etc. These books have narrated in great detail the location,
rich architecture and beauty of Ayodhya which had many palaces and temples
built all over the kingdom. Ayodhya was located on the banks of the Saryu
river with Ganga and Panchal Pradesh on one side and Mithila on the other
side. Normally 7,000 years is a very long period during which earthquakes,
storms, floods and foreign invasions change the course of rivers, destroy
the towns/buildings and alter the territories. Therefore, the task of
unearthing the facts is monumental. The present Ayodhya has shrunk in size
and the rivers have changed their course about 40 km north/south.

Shri Ram went out of Ayodhya in his childhood (13th year as per Valmiki
Ramayan) with Rishi Vishwamitra who lived in Tapovan (Sidhhashram). From
there he went to Mithila, King Janaka's kingdom. Here he married Sita after
breaking Shiv Dhanusha. Researchers have gone along the route adopted by
Shri Ram as narrated in the Valmiki Ramayan and found 23 places which have
memorials that commemorate the events related to the life of Shri Ram. These
include Shringi Ashram, Ramghat, Tadka Van, Sidhhashram, Gautamashram,
Janakpur (now in Nepal), Sita Kund, etc. Memorials are built for great men
and not for fictitious characters.

Date
of exile of Shri Ram: It is mentioned in Valmiki Ramayan's Ayodhya Kand
(2/4/18) that Dashratha wanted to make Shri Ram the king because Sun, Mars
and Rahu had surrounded his nakshatra and normally under such planetary
configuration the king dies or becomes a victim of conspiracies. Dashratha's
zodiac sign was Pisces and his nakshatra was Rewati. This planetary
configuration was prevailing on the January 5, 5089 BC, and it was on this
day that Shri Ram left Ayodhya for 14 years of exile. Thus, he was 25 years
old at that time (5114-5089). There are several shlokas in Valmiki Ramayan
which indicate that Shri Ram was 25-years-old when he left Ayodhya for
exile.

Valmiki Ramayan refers to the solar eclipse at the time of war with
Khardushan in later half of 13th year of Shri Ram's exile. It is also
mentioned it was amavasya day and Mars was in the middle. When this data was
entered, the software indicated that there was a solar eclipse on October 7,
5077 BC, (amavasya day) which could be seen from Panchvati. The planetary
configuration was also the same - Mars was in the middle, on one side were
Venus and Mercury and on the other side were Sun and Saturn. On the basis of
planetary configurations described in various other chapters, the date on
which Ravana was killed works out to be December 4, 5076 BC, and Shri Ram
completed 14 years of exile on January 2, 5075 BC, and that day was also
Navami of Shukla Paksha in Chaitra month. Thus Shri Ram had come back to
Ayodhya at the age of 39 (5114-5075).

A
colleague, Dr Ram Avtar, researched on places visited by Shri Ram during his
exile, and sequentially moved to the places stated as visited by Shri Ram in
the Valmiki Ramayan, starting from Ayodhya he went right upto Rameshwaram.
He found 195 places which still have the memorials connected to the events
narrated in the Ramayana relating to the life of Shri Ram and Sita. These
include Tamsa Tal (Mandah), Shringverpur (Singraur), Bhardwaj Ashram
(situated near Allahabad), Atri Ashram, Markandaya Ashram (Markundi),
Chitrakoot, Pamakuti (on banks of Godavari), Panchvati, Sita Sarovar, Ram
Kund in Triambakeshwar near Nasik, Shabari Ashram, Kishkindha (village
Annagorai), Dhanushkoti and Rameshwar temple.

In Valmiki Ramayan it is mentioned that Shri Ram's army constructed a bridge
over the sea between Rameshwaram and Lanka. After crossing this bridge, Shri
Ram's army had defeated Ravana. Recently, NASA put pictures on the Internet
of a man-made bridge, the ruins of which are lying submerged in Palk Strait
between Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka. Recently the Sri Lankan Government had
expressed the desire to develop Sita Vatika as a tourist spot. Sri Lankans
believe this was Ashok Vatika where Ravana had kept Sita as a prisoner (in
5076 BC).

Indian
history has recorded that Shri Ram belonged to the Suryavansh and he was the
64th ruler of this dynasty. The names and other relevant particulars of
previous 63 kings are listed in Ayodhya Ka Itihas written about 80 years ago
by Rai Bahadur Sita Ram. Professor Subhash Kak of Lousiana University, in
his book, The Astronomical Code of the Rig Veda, has also listed 63
ancestors of Shri Ram who ruled over Ayodhya. Sri Ram's ancestors have been
traced out as: Shri Ram, King Dashratha, King Aja, King Raghu, King Dilip
and so on. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Bengal to Gujarat,
everywhere people believe in the reality of Shri Ram's existence,
particularly in the tribal areas of Himachal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and
the North-East. Most of the festivals celebrated in these areas revolve
around the events in the life of Shri Ram and Shri Krishna.

The
events and places related to the life of Shri Ram and Sita are true cultural
and social heritage of every Indian irrespective of caste and creed.
Therefore, it is common heritage. After all, Shri Ram belonged to the period
when Prophet Mohammed or Jesus Christ were not born and Muslim or Christian
faiths were unknown to the world. The words Hindu (resident of Hindustan)
and Indian (resident of India) were synonymous. India was also known as
Bharat (land of knowledge) and Aryavarta (where Aryans live) and Hindustan
(land of "Hindus" - derived from word Indus).

During Ram Rajya, the evils of caste system based on birth were
non-existent. In fact, Maharishi Valmiki is stated to be of shudra class
(scheduled caste), still Sita lived with him as his adopted daughter after
she was banished from Ayodhya. Luv and Kush grew in his ashram as his
disciples. We need to be proud of the fact that Valmiki was perhaps the
first great astronomer and that his study of planetary configurations has
stood the test of times. Even the latest computer softwares have
corroborated his astronomical calculations, which proves that he did not
commit any error.

Shabari
is stated to be belonging to the Bheel tribe. Shri Ram's army, which
succeeded in defeating Ravana, was formed by various tribals from Central
and South India. The facts, events and all other details relating to the
life of Shri Ram are the common heritage of all the Indians including
scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, Muslims, Christians, etc.

Prophet Mohammad was born 1,400 years ago. Jesus Christ was born 2,000 years
back. Gautam Buddha was born 2,600 years back, whereas Ram was born 7,000
years back. Hence, discovering the details relating to Shri Ram's life would
be lot more difficult as destruction caused by floods, earthquakes and
invasions etc., would be far greater. But, should that stop our quest for
learning more about our cultural heritage?

As
Indians, let us all take pride in the fact that the Indian civilisation is
the most ancient civilisation today. It is certainly more than 10,000 years
old. Therefore, let us reject the story of Aryan invasion in India in 1,500
BC as motivated implantation. In fact Max Mueller, who was the creator of
this theory had himself rejected it. Let us admit that during the British
Rule, we were educated in the schools based on Macaulay school of thinking
which believed that everything Indian was inferior and that entire "Indian
literature was not worth even one book rack in England". If there were
similarities in certain features of Indian people and
people
from Central Europe, then automatic inference drawn was that the Aryans
coming from Europe invaded India and settled here. No one dared of thinking
in any other way. Therefore, there is urgency for the historians and all
other intellectuals to stop reducing Indian history to myth. There is need
to gather, dig out, search, unearth and analyse all the evidences, which
would throw more light on ancient Indian civilisation and culture.

There is need for the print and the electronic media to take note of these
facts and create atmosphere which would motivate our young and educated
youth to carry out research and unearth true facts about the ancient Indian
civilisation and wisdom and would also encourage them to put across the
results of their research before the people fearlessly and with a sense of
pride!

____________________________________________________________________

Valmiki Ramayanam
Online Edition

Shri Valmiki who has created the unique story of Ramayana,
which though contains the demons like Khar (rough) and Dashana (evil), is
still smooth, lucid, faultless and without any evil element in
it.

King Janak, after taking
permission from the Brahmin prepared an axe of gold and dug up the field.
while the field was being tilled, a young girl was unearthed. The king
named her as "Bhuja" (Born of the earth) and embraced her by taking her in
his arms. O Parvati! The girl was so innocent and beautiful that the king
broght her to his palace and brought her up as his daughter. She was named
"Janaki". And Narada called her "Seeta" who was pure and extraordinarily
beautifully.

As the mother
changed her mind, she spoke again," O Respected One! Please give up this
from and appear before me in the dearest form of a child. I will be very
happy. "Having heard this, even God started crying in the form of an infant.
(Tulsidas says): One who sings the glory of this form attains Godhood and
never returns to the well of the world.

While walking along he way,
the sage pointed at Tadka (the Demones). On hearing human sound, Tadka
rushed at them in anger. But Shri Ramchndra finished her just by piercing
singal arrow in her body, and then knowing her to be helpless, sent her to
the heaven.

Nobody could notice as to when
the bow was lifted, the arrow was fixed and drawn forcibly. Everyone saw
Ramchandra in a standing position ready to shoot an arrow. At the same
moment, Shri Ramchandra broke the bow from the middle and its crackling
noise filled he world with thunder.

Seeing the nervousness of
Seeta, her clever friends persuaded her to garland Shri Rama. Seeta took
the garland in both of her hands, but could not approach Rama due to
shyness. At that time, both of her hands appeared like two lotus flowers
with their branches ready to garland th moon (i.e. Rama). While her
friends started singing for the occasion, Seeta gralanded around the neck
of Shri Rama.

King Dasharath told Guru
Vasishtha: "O King of sages! Kindly listen. Shri Ramchandraji has won the
love and respect from all sorts of people. Servants, miisters, citizens
and all our friends and foes or even those who are indifferent, each of
them is dear to Ram like me. It is as if your blessing has taken the form
of his body! O Lord ! All Brahmins alognwith their family members shower
their love on Ram.

O beloved one! I earnestly
request you to fulfill my two wishes by offering me two boons as promised
earlier by you. The first one is the coronation of my son Bharat as the
king of Ayodhya and the second one is the exile of Rama into forest upto
14 years in the guise of an ascetic without any attachment towards the
kingdom, the family etc. The delicate utterances of Kaikeyi upset the king
(Dasharath) like the Chakor bird whose yearning increases when moon-rays
touch its body.

"Why are you so much upset
over such a trifling matter? What prevented you from telling me earlier?
On seeing you in the dejected mood, I approached the mother. After
listening to everything, I was at ease. O Father! "Please do not be
sentimental at such an auspicious occasion. Leave this depression and
allow me delighfully to proceed for the forest." Rama spoke these words to
his father and cheered.

O Lord! A woman without a man
is like a body without the soul, a river without the water. I will get all
happiness of the world just by accompanying you and looking at your face
as brilliant as the full moon. Believe me, O Lord! If you are with me, I
will never feel alone. The birds and the beats will become my family
members, the forest creepers and barks of the trees my clothes and the hut
made of leave will be an abode of heavely happiness for me.

O Lord! I wish to wash your
lotus-feet first and then request you to board my boat. I require nothing
else as the fare. Oh Ram! I swear by you and by Dasharath. Please believe
me. Let Lakshaman kill me by shooting an arrow but unless I wash your
lotus-feet, O kindest one & Lord of Tulsidas! I shall not take you
across this river in my boat.

The lotus-eyed Shri
Ramchandraji was very much pleased to see the beautiful, neat and sacred
atmosphere of the Ashram. Sage Valmiki rushed rushed to receive Shri Ram
on hearing about his arrival. Shri Ram saluted the sage by prostrating
before him on the ground and touching his feet. Valmiki, the best of the
Brahmins, blessed Ram. Valmiki was very much delighted to see Ram and led
him to Ashram respectfully.

On the bank of river Sarayu, a
pyre was prepared by piling up various fragrant substances like
sandalwood, saffron, gugal, camphor. It looked like a path to the
heaven.

The same Bharat has now
transgressed the norms of religion after acquiring the seat of Ram. The
evil-minded and the liar brother seems to have decided to rule the people,
taking advantage of Shri Ram's exile and loneliness. With that evil design
in his mind, he is approaching us, accompanied by his brother Shatrughna,
along with the army.

Bharat was overwhelemed with
the feelin og joy. He was accompanied by younger brother Shatrughna and
friend Nishad. As soon as he was Ram, all of his worries, despair and
depression disappeared. He exclaimed, "O, Lord! Please protect me! O
Saviour! Please save me!" and prostrated himself in th efeet of Ram.
Laxman recognised Bharat by his endearing speech, though he could not see
him as he was looking at Ram. On one side there was overwhelming love for
his Brother, while on the other side, there was helplessness due to
tremendous attachment to Ram!

As every one was
immersed in the ocean of love, suddenly Ram heard the news of arrival of the
King of Mithila, viz. Janak. The great king RaghuKul Dynasty went ahead to
receive janak along with his brothers, ministers and teachers. As soon as
Janak saw the best of the mountains - Chitrakoot, he got down from his royal
chariot after saluting the great mountain and started walking.

Ram was overpowered
with the mixed sentments of love and hesitation. On one side there was
immense dedication towards the character of Bharat, while on the other the
presence of elders, ministers and the citizens. He wished to offer his
footwear to Bharat, but was feeling shy to do so in front of his teacher. At
last. he succumbed to the call of love for Bharart and offered his footwear
to him. Bharat felt honoured by it and put them on his head.

Bharat listened to
it very attentively, took the advice and blessings. Then he called upon the
astrologers and fixed an auspicious day for putting the footwear (Charan
Paaduka) of shri ram on the throne of Ayodhaya.

Once ram himself prepared the
ornaments from various flowers and picked up by him and decorated Seeta
gracefully while sitting on a huge diamond stone.

The wife of the sage narrated
the duties of a women in a swrrt and gentle tone. She said: "Please
listen, O Princess! The parents, brother etc. are all over well-wishers,
but their rewards are limited, whereas the husband gives the Salvation,
i.e. the ultimate and limitless reward. Therefore a woman who fails to
serve such a husband is mean-minded. Patience, relegion, friendship and
woman - all of these are tested during the hard times."

The sharp and forceful arrows
shot by angry Kakshman irritated the demon Viradh. Now th demon looking
like the killer time incarnate, stood up and took the Trishul in his hand,
keeping aside seeta. He looked ferocious. As the birds and beasts of the
forest for frightened by him, Rama broke down his weapon by shooting an
arrow, which peirced through the demon's Trishul.

On hearing that, the sage
Agatsya immediately rushed towards Ram & Lakshman. Tears of pleasure
and love trickled down his eyes at the sight of God. Both the brothers
prostrated at the lotus feet of the sage and the sage and the sage
embraced them with warm welcome. Thereafter gracefully requested them to
have seat.

Enraged upon Lakshman, she
approached Ram and adopted the most horrible demeanour: her hairs loose,
mouth horrible,eyebrows crooked and cheeks spread upto ears. As Seeta was
stunned with fear, Ram hinted at Lakshman throught\ gestures. Lakshman got
him rightly and (Then, O Parvati, Listen, awhat Lakshman did.)Lakshman
cut off her nose and ears very tactfully as if to invite her brother
Ravana for battle!

Many warriors were killed.
Those whose chests were broken apart were screaming on the ground. Looking
at their frustrated army, Trisira, Khar & Dushan turned to Ram.
Numerous devils shot arrows, spears, poachers and whatever weapons were
handy with them towards Ram. But Ram was unmoved. Then he look his bow and
shot back with tons of arrows in the chests of chiefs of the
army.

Witnessing the deaths of Khar
and Dushana, Shurpankha tried to fuel the wrath of Ravana. She said
angrily. "You have forgotten your country and your treasure."

The Marich worshipped Ravana
and asked him respectfully, "Tell me, O Lord! Why you look so upset ? And
how is it that you have come alone?" Unfortunate Ravana told him
everything adamantly and then said to Marich. "You take the form of a deer
and misguide Ram, while I will abduct Seeta."

Seeta said, "O Kindest One! O
Lord! Please listen. See this deer. What a beautiful skin it has! Kill it
and bring its skin for me!" Ram, even though he knew about the trick of
Marich, set up for hunting the deer with his bow & arrow to undertake
the divine cause of the gods.

Ram requested. "O Respectable
one! Kindly keep this body."At this,he (Jatayu) smiled and said." "the
scriptures say that even by chanting your name at the time of dying, a
sinner gets the salvation. But you have appeared before me in person! What
else do I need? Nothing remains to be desired". "Ram, with tears in eyes,
said, "O Great one! You have achieved the most sought after status by your
sacred deeds."

Shabari was so much
overwhelmed with devotion and love that she became speechless on seeing
Ram. She repeatedly bowed down at this feet. Then she washed the feet of
both the brothers and offered them beautiful seats. She brought very
juicy, fresh and tasty shrubs, roots and fruits and offered them to Ram.
Ram also repeatedly appreciated her and ate them with
affection.

The army of Ignorance
(Infatuation) consists of Desire, Anger, Temptation and pride. The woman
is like illusion incarnate. Please listen, O Sage! The Puranas, the Vedas
& the saints confirm that a woman is like the season of spring
blooming in the forest of illusion. A woman drains the waters of chanting,
meditation and holy rituals like the summer.

O Brave soul! May I know who
you are moving like awarrior having black & white complexion? What
makes you move in this harsh and thormy land with delicate legs? You look
so majestic and charming! Why are you exerting so much by subjecting
yourself to unbearable heat and air! Are you One of the three Gods viz.
Brahma, Vishnu and Shankar or you are both Nara &
Narayan?

Sugreev manoeuvred too much,
but could not succeed. At last he was convinced and accepted the defeat,
Ram then had to kill Vali by shooting an arrow in his chest. Injured by
the arrow, he fellon the earth, but seeing Ramchandra, he again stood up.
Ram;s body was dark, eyes red, with locks of long hair on the head. He was
ready to shoot an arrow.

Vali was sent to the heaven by
Shri Ram. All the citizens gathered in frustration. The wife of Vali viz.
Tara started mourning for the loss of her husband. She was completely
bereaved.

Sugreev, Who earlier lived in
danger from Vali and had many wounds on his body and who led a life full
of tension, was now made the king of monkeys by Shri Ram. Really Lord
Raghuveer is very kind and compassionate.

At that time Angad, bowing
down his head, said, "O Lord! Kindly send Hanumanji." So Sugreev called on
Hanuman and gently requested him, " Shri Ram has obliged me in many ways.
I would like you to go everywhere for his work.

O Lord! Even the gods, human
beings and the sages are subject to the temptations of sense organs,
whereas I am a humble animal and that too the most lusty among them i.e.,
the monkey. A person who is never injured by the arrows of beautiful eyes
of a woman and who is awake during the darkest night of anger (i.e. who
does not lose his temper) and who is free from the tangles of temptation,
such person is like you, O Raghunath! These qualities are rare and cannot
be attained by penance or austerity. Only throught your grace, one can
attain them.

Thereafter Sugreev called two
messengers. Gaj and Gavaksh rushed to him. Sugreev spoke to them very
gently with unanimity of thought, word and deed. He said, "Please go
eastward in search of Seeta and come back as early as possible after
accomplishing Ram's task.

They saw a fine garden and a
beautiful pond inside. The pond was full of blooming lotuses. By the side
of the pond, there was a fine temple, where there was a Divine
Lady.

The city of Lanka, on the
Trikut mountain, is ruled by Ravana, a fearless King. In the city, there
is a garden known as Ashok van where Seetaji is, at present, sitting in
apensive mood.

the unmatched beauty of your
mother Anjani is well-known in the world. Once, beautifully dressed up,
she went to the top of a mountain. (O Hanumanji!) Listen! It was the
auspicious day when you were bron on the fourteenth day - saturday of
Kartik (month) during the last fortnight of the month.

"You are incarnated to serve
the holly cause of Shri Ram. "Having heard this, Hanuman's body expanded
to the proportion of a mountain. The whole body was beaming with the
brilliance of gold; as if he was the other king of the mountains. Hanuman
asked, "O Jambvan! I seek your guidance." Jambvan replied, "Respected Sir,
Please find out the whereabouts of Seeta. Thereafter the lotus-eyed Shri
Ramchandra will kill the demons and bring back Seeta. The army of monkey
will accompany him, just for the sake of amusement."

Hanuman entered into her mouth
and afain came out and asked for her leave after salution her; then Sursa
told him, "I have come to know the secret of your extraordinary
brilliance. I am sure you will be able to fulfill all the tasks of Shri
Ram, for which the gods had sent me here. When she flew away after
blessing Hanuman, he felt greatly exhilarated.

Onseeing seeta, hanumanji
saluted her heartily. Seeta used to sit there all the 24 hours of the day.
Her body was emaciated. One of her locks of hair was lying on her head and
she used to chant the name of Shri Ram constantly at every
moment.

Shri Valmiki who has created the unique story of Ramayana,
which though contains the demons like Khar (rough) and Dashana (evil), is
still smooth, lucid, faultless and without any evil element in
it.

King Janak, after taking
permission from the Brahmin prepared an axe of gold and dug up the field.
while the field was being tilled, a young girl was unearthed. The king
named her as "Bhuja" (Born of the earth) and embraced her by taking her in
his arms. O Parvati! The girl was so innocent and beautiful that the king
broght her to his palace and brought her up as his daughter. She was named
"Janaki". And Narada called her "Seeta" who was pure and extraordinarily
beautifully.

As the mother
changed her mind, she spoke again," O Respected One! Please give up this
from and appear before me in the dearest form of a child. I will be very
happy. "Having heard this, even God started crying in the form of an infant.
(Tulsidas says): One who sings the glory of this form attains Godhood and
never returns to the well of the world.

While walking along he way,
the sage pointed at Tadka (the Demones). On hearing human sound, Tadka
rushed at them in anger. But Shri Ramchndra finished her just by piercing
singal arrow in her body, and then knowing her to be helpless, sent her to
the heaven.

Nobody could notice as to when
the bow was lifted, the arrow was fixed and drawn forcibly. Everyone saw
Ramchandra in a standing position ready to shoot an arrow. At the same
moment, Shri Ramchandra broke the bow from the middle and its crackling
noise filled he world with thunder.

Seeing the nervousness of
Seeta, her clever friends persuaded her to garland Shri Rama. Seeta took
the garland in both of her hands, but could not approach Rama due to
shyness. At that time, both of her hands appeared like two lotus flowers
with their branches ready to garland th moon (i.e. Rama). While her
friends started singing for the occasion, Seeta gralanded around the neck
of Shri Rama.

King Dasharath told Guru
Vasishtha: "O King of sages! Kindly listen. Shri Ramchandraji has won the
love and respect from all sorts of people. Servants, miisters, citizens
and all our friends and foes or even those who are indifferent, each of
them is dear to Ram like me. It is as if your blessing has taken the form
of his body! O Lord ! All Brahmins alognwith their family members shower
their love on Ram.

O beloved one! I earnestly
request you to fulfill my two wishes by offering me two boons as promised
earlier by you. The first one is the coronation of my son Bharat as the
king of Ayodhya and the second one is the exile of Rama into forest upto
14 years in the guise of an ascetic without any attachment towards the
kingdom, the family etc. The delicate utterances of Kaikeyi upset the king
(Dasharath) like the Chakor bird whose yearning increases when moon-rays
touch its body.

"Why are you so much upset
over such a trifling matter? What prevented you from telling me earlier?
On seeing you in the dejected mood, I approached the mother. After
listening to everything, I was at ease. O Father! "Please do not be
sentimental at such an auspicious occasion. Leave this depression and
allow me delighfully to proceed for the forest." Rama spoke these words to
his father and cheered.

O Lord! A woman without a man
is like a body without the soul, a river without the water. I will get all
happiness of the world just by accompanying you and looking at your face
as brilliant as the full moon. Believe me, O Lord! If you are with me, I
will never feel alone. The birds and the beats will become my family
members, the forest creepers and barks of the trees my clothes and the hut
made of leave will be an abode of heavely happiness for me.

O Lord! I wish to wash your
lotus-feet first and then request you to board my boat. I require nothing
else as the fare. Oh Ram! I swear by you and by Dasharath. Please believe
me. Let Lakshaman kill me by shooting an arrow but unless I wash your
lotus-feet, O kindest one & Lord of Tulsidas! I shall not take you
across this river in my boat.

The lotus-eyed Shri
Ramchandraji was very much pleased to see the beautiful, neat and sacred
atmosphere of the Ashram. Sage Valmiki rushed rushed to receive Shri Ram
on hearing about his arrival. Shri Ram saluted the sage by prostrating
before him on the ground and touching his feet. Valmiki, the best of the
Brahmins, blessed Ram. Valmiki was very much delighted to see Ram and led
him to Ashram respectfully.

On the bank of river Sarayu, a
pyre was prepared by piling up various fragrant substances like
sandalwood, saffron, gugal, camphor. It looked like a path to the
heaven.

The same Bharat has now
transgressed the norms of religion after acquiring the seat of Ram. The
evil-minded and the liar brother seems to have decided to rule the people,
taking advantage of Shri Ram's exile and loneliness. With that evil design
in his mind, he is approaching us, accompanied by his brother Shatrughna,
along with the army.

Bharat was overwhelemed with
the feelin og joy. He was accompanied by younger brother Shatrughna and
friend Nishad. As soon as he was Ram, all of his worries, despair and
depression disappeared. He exclaimed, "O, Lord! Please protect me! O
Saviour! Please save me!" and prostrated himself in th efeet of Ram.
Laxman recognised Bharat by his endearing speech, though he could not see
him as he was looking at Ram. On one side there was overwhelming love for
his Brother, while on the other side, there was helplessness due to
tremendous attachment to Ram!

As every one was
immersed in the ocean of love, suddenly Ram heard the news of arrival of the
King of Mithila, viz. Janak. The great king RaghuKul Dynasty went ahead to
receive janak along with his brothers, ministers and teachers. As soon as
Janak saw the best of the mountains - Chitrakoot, he got down from his royal
chariot after saluting the great mountain and started walking.

Ram was overpowered
with the mixed sentments of love and hesitation. On one side there was
immense dedication towards the character of Bharat, while on the other the
presence of elders, ministers and the citizens. He wished to offer his
footwear to Bharat, but was feeling shy to do so in front of his teacher. At
last. he succumbed to the call of love for Bharart and offered his footwear
to him. Bharat felt honoured by it and put them on his head.

Bharat listened to
it very attentively, took the advice and blessings. Then he called upon the
astrologers and fixed an auspicious day for putting the footwear (Charan
Paaduka) of shri ram on the throne of Ayodhaya.

"O Ten-mouthed
Ravana! Can a lotus ever bloom in the light of a tiny insect emanating
light from its body? Seetaji again told him (Ravana): "O Evil one, the
same is the case with you. You are unaware of Shri Ram's powers. You
devil, abducted me when I was all alone. O mean-minded creature, you are
utterly shameless!"

After pondering
over for a while, Hanumanji threw a ring at Seeta's Feet. It appeared as
if a bruning charcoal had fallen from the Ashoka tree. Seeta delightedly
took it in her hands.

Having seen
hanuman's versatility as well as extraordinary physical power, Seeta said,
"O Respected one! Please eat this sweet fruit by remembering Ram
heartily". Then Hanumanji bowed down before her and entered the garden. He
ate the sweet fruits and started uprooting the trees. There were so many
soldiers. But Hanuman killed many of them, while some of them approached
Ravana for help.

Hanumanji
galloped and climed the palace. The flames of fire were, soon, coming out
of his tail. It looked as if a huge flow of fire was descending from the
sky, as if the jaws of death where trying to devour the entire Lanka or as
if avaliant warrior had sharpened his weapons.

The narration of
those details soothed Rama and he delightfully embraced Hanumana. He said
"O Dear one! Please tell me, how Seeta lives and protects herself?
Hanumanji replied, "She is chanting your name during day & night. Your
name is like the soldiers and your meditation is like doors. Seeta
constantly stares at her feet (locking all the doors of her body). Then
how can the soul exit from her body?

Seeta is like the
night of winter for the forest of lotuses of your dynasty. Please listen,
O Master! Without giving back Seeta even Shankar & Brahma (the
creator) will be unable to help you. Ram's arrows are like the multitudes
of snakes and your crowd of demons are like frogs. Before the sankes
swallow your frogs, please give up adamance and seek out the
solution.

O Lord! I am the
brother of Ravana. O protector of gods I am born in the dynasty of Demons.
My body is blackish. As the darkness is dear to an owl, the sins are are
dear to me. Your reputation as the destroyer of fear has brought me to
you. Please protect me, as you are the protector of those who take your
shelter.

"O Kindest
One!Give me your pure devotion so dear to Shankar". then Ram blessed him
by saying, "Let your wish be fulfilled" and asked for water from the
ocean.He said, "O Dear Friend! Though you are unwilling, but my
Darshan neverfails. It is always successful. "Then Ram marked his forehead
with tilak. The sky showered flowers on this majestic occasion.

Shuk-dut, please
give up arrogance and trat the facts written in this letter as truth.
Please Shuk-dut listen to me and give up anger. Don't antagonise Ram. Shri
Ram's nature is very kind and polite in spite of being the Lord of the
Universe. He will forgive you for all your sins the moment you meet
him."

The ocean was
terribly frightened. He pleaded Ram for mercy and earnestly requested the
God to forgive him for his follies. He touched the feet of Ram and told
him that all the five elements viz. The space, the wind, the fire, the
water and the earth are dull by nature.

The huge army of
monkeys took orders from Ram and priceeded. the army was too large to
count. The bridge was so overcrowded that some monkeys flew over the ocen,
while others climed upon the aquatic creatures to cross over the
distance.

Introducing
himself in the court of Ravana, Angad said, "My name is Angad. I am the
son of Vali. Have you ever met him?" Ravana was embarrassed. He said,
"Yes, I know, Vali was a monkey. Are you the son of that same Vali? then
you are the killer of your own dynasty. You are like all-devouring fire
for your family. Why didn't you die in the womb of your mothr? You call
yourself as the Messenger of Taapas. Therefore your life is
worthless.

At that time
Meghand shot the most lustrous & destructive arrow called
"Virghatini", which hurt Lakshaman in the chest and made him unconscious,
then Meghand became fearless and reshed to Lakshman.

Hanumanji saw the
mountain. However, he could not recognise the medicinal herb on it. So he
lifted the entire mountain and fled in the night towards the city of
Ayodhya.

Hearing this,
Ravana became very restless. He nodded his head repeatedly in refusal and
went to awaken Kumbhakarna. After various efforts, Kumbhakarna was
awakened from deep slumber. How did he look like? He looked like the
perfonified Time, He asked, "Dear Brother! Tell me, why your face is so
pale?"

Kumbhakarna
rushed towards Ram with arrows stuffed into his mouth.It appeared, as if
the God of Time was running with the sheath in his mouth. At that time Ram
angrily took out a pointed arrow and aimed at Kumbhakarna's neck. The
arrow pierced through Kumbhakarna's neck and separated his head from the
body.

Now Meghnad (the
son of Ravana) started shooting arrows at Lakshman, Sugreev and Vibhishan
and injured their bodies. He also started fighting with Ram. All the
arrows of Meghnad transformed into sepents and harmed them.

Lakshmanji
approached Ravana and said, "O you Devil & the coward one! Why are you
killing monkeys and bears? Face me. I am your killer." Ravana said, "You
are the killer of my son. I will never spare you. Unless I kill you today,
I will not rest in peace." Having spoken thus Ravana shot deadly arrows.
However Lakshman broke the same into pieces. All arrows of Ravana were
broken by Lakshman into hundreds of tiny pieces.

Shri Rama drew
the bow up to his ear and then dischared thirty one arrows like the
all-devouring time! One of the arrow piereced into Ravan's navel and
squeezed the nectar from his body. Rest of them separated his arms and the
head. The armless and headless body of Ravan moved helter-skelter on the
earth.

Then Seeta
remembered Ram, her abode of sacred love and whose feet were worshipped by
Lord Shankar and entered the fire, which was cooled like the sandalwood.
at the same time, the idol of Seeta burnt into flames. No one could
realise the glory of the God's character. The Gods, the supermatural souls
and the sages witnessed the scene from the sky.

All the great
chiefs of the army of monkeys including their heroes like Sugriv, Neel,
Jambuvan, Angad, Nal, Hanuman abd Vibhisan, were speechless. However, they
constantly started at Shri Ram, without even winking their eyes for once.
Shri Ram realised their overwhelming affection towards him and took in his
plane. He saluted the Brahmins and the plane flew northward.

Suddenly there
were good omens everywhere. everyone was in a festival mood. The whole
city looked wonderful. It was an indication of the arrival of
God.

"O Ten-mouthed
Ravana! Can a lotus ever bloom in the light of a tiny insect emanating
light from its body? Seetaji again told him (Ravana): "O Evil one, the
same is the case with you. You are unaware of Shri Ram's powers. You
devil, abducted me when I was all alone. O mean-minded creature, you are
utterly shameless!"

After pondering
over for a while, Hanumanji threw a ring at Seeta's Feet. It appeared as
if a bruning charcoal had fallen from the Ashoka tree. Seeta delightedly
took it in her hands.

Having seen
hanuman's versatility as well as extraordinary physical power, Seeta said,
"O Respected one! Please eat this sweet fruit by remembering Ram
heartily". Then Hanumanji bowed down before her and entered the garden. He
ate the sweet fruits and started uprooting the trees. There were so many
soldiers. But Hanuman killed many of them, while some of them approached
Ravana for help.

Hanumanji
galloped and climed the palace. The flames of fire were, soon, coming out
of his tail. It looked as if a huge flow of fire was descending from the
sky, as if the jaws of death where trying to devour the entire Lanka or as
if avaliant warrior had sharpened his weapons.

The narration of
those details soothed Rama and he delightfully embraced Hanumana. He said
"O Dear one! Please tell me, how Seeta lives and protects herself?
Hanumanji replied, "She is chanting your name during day & night. Your
name is like the soldiers and your meditation is like doors. Seeta
constantly stares at her feet (locking all the doors of her body). Then
how can the soul exit from her body?

Seeta is like the
night of winter for the forest of lotuses of your dynasty. Please listen,
O Master! Without giving back Seeta even Shankar & Brahma (the
creator) will be unable to help you. Ram's arrows are like the multitudes
of snakes and your crowd of demons are like frogs. Before the sankes
swallow your frogs, please give up adamance and seek out the
solution.

O Lord! I am the
brother of Ravana. O protector of gods I am born in the dynasty of Demons.
My body is blackish. As the darkness is dear to an owl, the sins are are
dear to me. Your reputation as the destroyer of fear has brought me to
you. Please protect me, as you are the protector of those who take your
shelter.

"O Kindest
One!Give me your pure devotion so dear to Shankar". then Ram blessed him
by saying, "Let your wish be fulfilled" and asked for water from the
ocean.He said, "O Dear Friend! Though you are unwilling, but my
Darshan neverfails. It is always successful. "Then Ram marked his forehead
with tilak. The sky showered flowers on this majestic occasion.

Shuk-dut, please
give up arrogance and trat the facts written in this letter as truth.
Please Shuk-dut listen to me and give up anger. Don't antagonise Ram. Shri
Ram's nature is very kind and polite in spite of being the Lord of the
Universe. He will forgive you for all your sins the moment you meet
him."

The ocean was
terribly frightened. He pleaded Ram for mercy and earnestly requested the
God to forgive him for his follies. He touched the feet of Ram and told
him that all the five elements viz. The space, the wind, the fire, the
water and the earth are dull by nature.

The huge army of
monkeys took orders from Ram and priceeded. the army was too large to
count. The bridge was so overcrowded that some monkeys flew over the ocen,
while others climed upon the aquatic creatures to cross over the
distance.

Introducing
himself in the court of Ravana, Angad said, "My name is Angad. I am the
son of Vali. Have you ever met him?" Ravana was embarrassed. He said,
"Yes, I know, Vali was a monkey. Are you the son of that same Vali? then
you are the killer of your own dynasty. You are like all-devouring fire
for your family. Why didn't you die in the womb of your mothr? You call
yourself as the Messenger of Taapas. Therefore your life is
worthless.

At that time
Meghand shot the most lustrous & destructive arrow called
"Virghatini", which hurt Lakshaman in the chest and made him unconscious,
then Meghand became fearless and reshed to Lakshman.

Hanumanji saw the
mountain. However, he could not recognise the medicinal herb on it. So he
lifted the entire mountain and fled in the night towards the city of
Ayodhya.

Hearing this,
Ravana became very restless. He nodded his head repeatedly in refusal and
went to awaken Kumbhakarna. After various efforts, Kumbhakarna was
awakened from deep slumber. How did he look like? He looked like the
perfonified Time, He asked, "Dear Brother! Tell me, why your face is so
pale?"

Kumbhakarna
rushed towards Ram with arrows stuffed into his mouth.It appeared, as if
the God of Time was running with the sheath in his mouth. At that time Ram
angrily took out a pointed arrow and aimed at Kumbhakarna's neck. The
arrow pierced through Kumbhakarna's neck and separated his head from the
body.

Now Meghnad (the
son of Ravana) started shooting arrows at Lakshman, Sugreev and Vibhishan
and injured their bodies. He also started fighting with Ram. All the
arrows of Meghnad transformed into sepents and harmed them.

Lakshmanji
approached Ravana and said, "O you Devil & the coward one! Why are you
killing monkeys and bears? Face me. I am your killer." Ravana said, "You
are the killer of my son. I will never spare you. Unless I kill you today,
I will not rest in peace." Having spoken thus Ravana shot deadly arrows.
However Lakshman broke the same into pieces. All arrows of Ravana were
broken by Lakshman into hundreds of tiny pieces.

Shri Rama drew
the bow up to his ear and then dischared thirty one arrows like the
all-devouring time! One of the arrow piereced into Ravan's navel and
squeezed the nectar from his body. Rest of them separated his arms and the
head. The armless and headless body of Ravan moved helter-skelter on the
earth.

Then Seeta
remembered Ram, her abode of sacred love and whose feet were worshipped by
Lord Shankar and entered the fire, which was cooled like the sandalwood.
at the same time, the idol of Seeta burnt into flames. No one could
realise the glory of the God's character. The Gods, the supermatural souls
and the sages witnessed the scene from the sky.

All the great
chiefs of the army of monkeys including their heroes like Sugriv, Neel,
Jambuvan, Angad, Nal, Hanuman abd Vibhisan, were speechless. However, they
constantly started at Shri Ram, without even winking their eyes for once.
Shri Ram realised their overwhelming affection towards him and took in his
plane. He saluted the Brahmins and the plane flew northward.

Suddenly there
were good omens everywhere. everyone was in a festival mood. The whole
city looked wonderful. It was an indication of the arrival of
God.

All the mothers
rushed to see the God like the cows rushing to feed their calves with
udders overflowing with milk. Shri Ram spoke to them lovingly. The dark
night of separation was over and everyone cheered in teh light of divine
presence of Shri Ram!

Before the
cornonation of Shri Ram, sage Vasishtha made an auspicious mark on his
forehead. All the Brahmins followed Vasishtha. All the three mothers also
worshipped their beloved son and donated gifts & presents to the
Brahmins. As Ram, the Lord of the three world took seat on the throne of
Ayodhya, the reverbrations of drums played by the gods filled the
atmosphere with the thrill.

Lord Shankar
Said, "O Shri Ram! O Lord of the Riches! O Destroyer of the agonies of the
universe! Be victorious. Kindly protect your devotee from the agony of the
world! You are the King of Ayodhya, the god of Gods, the Beloved of Seeta!
I have come to request you to protect all the people."

Everyone is dear
to me. But you are dearer than anyone. I never tell untruth. This is my
mature. A servant is always dear. But that is common. For me, a devotee is
more lovable. Friends! Now please take leave and reach your homes! Worship
me devotedly and regularly. Consider me as all-pervading and love me as
your saviour!

On that beautiful
mountain styas a bird called "Kak-Bhushundi". It is immortal. The evils of
passion, temptation, discrimination created by illusion pervading the
entire universe, never appear on that mountain. please listen from me, O
Parvati! The story of Kak-Bhushundi's utmost devotion towards
God.

"Ayodhya has
witnessed extremely powerful kings like Raghu, Dilip and Sagar etc. During
their reigning period, the sons never used to die before their fathers.
Ram overheard this through intuition. He took the form of Hanuman beings
and thought: How did his son die? He was very gloomy on seeing the sorrow
on the Brahmin's face.

Ram resolved:
"Let me leave Seeta in the forest itself and fulfill the religious
convictions and traditions." Quickly coming to Seeta with warmth and
respect, he told her; " O sacred Seeta! Please leave behind you, your
wordly shadow and go to your original place." Seeta touched the feet of
Ram and disappeared in the sky, unnoticed by anyone around.

"Don't worry, O
daughter! You will meet Lakshman, who helps the helpless." Then Valmiki
brought Seeta in his parnakuti with utmost respect and knew the details
from her. He consloed Seeta in many ways and requested her to be patient.
Then Seeta took bath in the river Ganga and remembered Shri Ram. Sage
Valmiki blessed her and offered her fruits.

Once again the
enemy of gods viz. Lavanasur rose and screamed in anger with weapon in his
hand. Everyone greeted Shatrughna with love and respect. Seeing everyone
in dejected mood, Shtrughna drew back the arrows given by Shri Ram. Then
remembering Ram's feet, he discharged two arrows, which disturbed the
demon and dismembered his limbs. Ultimately the devil fell on the
earth.

"O swan-like
children of the safe! Please give up anger and relieve the horse. Shri Ram
will feel very fortunate on seeing you.' The children said:"O King!
What is your name? what sort of a citizen you are, roaming with soldiers
in the forest? which place you belong to and why have you come here? why
have you tied this letter on his head?"

They went towards
Ashram with fine weapons, costumes, ornaments, bears and the horse. They
were accompanied by Hanuman.Both the sons bowed down before Seeta and
touched her feet. They presented her with lovely ornaments, Seeta became
unconscious and fell down on the earth. At the same moment sage Valmiki
arrived from the forest. Seeta requested Lav & Kush to reliver Hanuman
and Jambavant immediately. She also told them, "O Dear Sons! By defeating
a sin and have made me a widow, Now forget the sorrow and bring sandalwood
so that I can end my life by following my husband by buring myself in the
pyre.Sage Valmiki gently persuaded Seeta and took the boys Lav &
Kush to the battlefield. He saw the adventures of children and smiled in
delight. He recongnised the chariot and horses of Ram and approched him.
Valmiki said, "Wake up, O Ram! Look at your innocent sons!"

"O Brother!
believe me and take an oath before Seeta. "Lakshman went to Seeta and
bowed before her and also tried to persuade Lav-Kush, in various ways.
Seeta was convinced and she addressed Mother Earth like this. "If I
have worhsipped Ram alone in thoughts, words and deeds throughout my life
without even thinking about any other man even for a moment, then O mother
Earth! Please gieve me shelter in your laps." Having heard this, the earth
split into parts and Lord Shesh appeared with thousand underground. I am
unable todescribe such a rare sight!

Countless chariots
were flying in the sky. Their shadows on earth looked like the multitudes of
licusts. People of Ayodhya were delighted at the divine sight of Lord Shri
Ram. God took his plane and went to the Holy Abode. Even Indra, the God of
gods, was stunned at this magnificent sight. There was heavy rain of flowers
from the sky as Brahmins were chanting the Mantras for Vedas.

Having just returned from the fourteen years exile, Sitaji was sent on
yet another exile by the people of Ayodhaya. Malicious rumor and cruel
gossip separated the loving pair. At least in the first exile Sitaji had
the company of her husband and brother-in-law to protect her and comfort
her. In this second exile, she was all alone. The pain and hurt of a
pregnant woman, abandoned all alone in the jungles of central India,
must have been intense. Yet, she did not falter. Perhaps the first
"Single Parent" of the Hindu epics, she raised her childrens in the
Ashram of Bhagwan Valmiki.

Sri Ram requested sage Agastya
to tell about the means by which he could become liberated from the sins
of killing brahmins. Sage Agastya advised him to perform
Ashwamedha-yagya. He also described the rituals of performing Ashwamedha
Yagya--- "Get a horse of white colour and after worshipping it on
Vaishakh Purnima leave it to wander freely. Tie a piece of paper on its
forehead on which your name and other details are mentioned. Soldiers
should follow that horse wherever it goes. You should fight a battle
against any king who dares to stop the horse. You should lead a celibate
life till the horse returns back to the same place from where it had
been let loose. It is customary for the performer of Ashwamedha yagya to
indulge himself in benevolent deeds till the completion of Ashwamedha
yagya." Sri Ram agreed to perform Ashwamedha yagya. He went to the
seashore accompanied by numerous sages. He then cultivated a vast
expanse of land with the help of a golden plough. A large oblation site
was constructed and thus began Ashwamedha yagya under the supervision of
Vashishth.

As per the advice of Sage
Vashishth, Sri Ram instructed his soldiers to bring a white-horse. A
white parasol was fixed on its back and the horse was decorated with
colourful clothes. The horse was then let loose and the faithful
soldiers of Sri Ram followed it wherever the horse went.A gold-sheet was
hanged in the horse's neck and upon which was inscribed--This horse
belongs to Sri Ram--the son of Dasharath. Anybody who dares to stop this
horse will meet ruthless punishment.

Shatrughan followed the horse as per the instruction of his elder
brother -- Sri Ram. Bharat and Pushkal also accompanied him. A huge army
led by Kalnemi was marching behind the horse.

Some of the kings tried to stop
the horse, but were defeated by Shatrughan. This way the horse continued
to move ahead without any problem till it reached the bank of river
Ganga.It was early morning and Lav after noticing the presence of horse
become curious. He went near the horse and tried to read the inscription
hanging down it's neck. He made fun of the might of Sri Ram and fastened
the horse.The soldiers tried to release the horse but Lav severed their
arms. They returned to Shatrughan and narrated the whole incident to
him.

Shatrughan became extremely
furious after seeing the condition of his injured soldiers. He
instructed Kalnemi to teach Lav a lesson. Kalnemi confronted Lav with a
huge army and a ferocious battle took place. Lav managed to kill
Kalnemi, which created havoc in the rival's army. The surviving soldiers
tried to hold their ground but were forced to flee on account of a
fierce assault from Lav.

Shatrughan then ordered Pushkal to fight Lav but he became unconscious
after being hit by Lav's arrow. Now, Shatrughan's anger crossed all
limits and he ordered Hanuman to kill Lav. Hanuman uprooted a large tree
and tried to hit Lav, but Lav cut that tree into hundred pieces with a
volley of arrows. Lav then released many arrows in the direction of
Hanuman. Hanuman fought valiantly but ultimately he fell down
unconscious.

When Shatrughan learnt about
Hanuman's fate he was infuriated and went to fight Lav. But when he saw
a tender looking child in front of him he was surprised. Shatrughan
asked --

'O brave child! Who are you! Who is your father?'

But Lav was not interested in his irrelevant queries and challenged him
for a duel. Shatrughan was left with no other option but to fight. A
tremendous battle was fought between them. Shatrughan released volleys
of arrow towards Lav but all of them were neutralized by him. For a
brief time Shatrughan lost his consciousness. After regaining his
consciousness, he aimed his most lethal weapon towards Lav. The arrow
hit Lav and he fell down unconscious. Lav's companions went and informed
Sita about the whole incident. Kush came forward to fight against Sri
Ram's army. When he reached the battlefield he saw Lav who was held
captive by the enemy's army's. By that time, Lav had regained his
consciousness and after seeing Kush he somehow managed to free himself
from the clutches of his captors.

Now, both the brothers launched a fierce attack on the enemy. The whole
army of Sri Ram started running helter and shelter. It did not take much
time for Lav and Kush to vanquish the whole army. All the great warriors
like Hanuman, Sugreeva, Pushkal, Angad Veermani and even Shatrughan were
either held captive or injured in the battle. Both the brothers fastened
Hanuman and Sugreeva with ropes and took them to Sita. Sita immediately
recognized Hanuman and Sugreeva. She instructed both her sons to set
them free as well as the horse. Lav and Kush followed the instruction of
Mother Sita and released everybody from their captivity. Bhagwan Valmiki
Ji shower the nector over the dead army and all the dead soldiers became
alive once again. Shatrughan regained his consciousness too.

Shatrughan decided to return to
Ayodhya. He instructed Sumati to make all the necessary arrangements for
the safe return of the Caravan, which comprised not only of Sri Ram's
army but also of all the defeated kings and their vanquished armies.
When Sri Ram came to know about their arrival, he sent Laxman to receive
them. Laxman received the victorious army with all the honour and the
all of them came to the palace. Sri Ram curiously asked Sumati about
everything that had happened.

Sumati paraded all the vanquished kings who had made the mistake of
stopping the horse-- Sumad, Sabahu, Daman, Satyavan, Surath, etc. He
then narrated the brave deed of Lav and Kush. He also revealed how
mighty warriors like Hanuman, Sugreeva Shatrughan etc had been defeated
by both of them.

Bhagwan Valmiki was present in
Ayodhya to attend the Ashwamedha yagya. Sri Ram asked him about the
identity of the two children--Lav and Kush, Valmiki said --- Sita was
pregnant at the time you had abandoned her. I gave her refuge in my
hermitage where she gave birth to twins--Lav and Kush. Both the children
were brought up in my hermitage with love and care. I taught them all
the sacred texts and scriptures and made them masters of various
weaponries. So, Lav and Kush are your sons. You must bring Sita back to
Ayodhya with due honour, because she is pure and chaste."

Sri Ram's heart was filled with grief. He instructed Laxman to bring
Sita along with Lav and Kush. Laxman went to Valmiki's hermitage and
requested Sita to return to Ayodhya. Sita refused to return but sent Lav
and Kush along with Laxman. When Sri Ram found that only Lav and Kush
had come, he once again sent Laxman to bring Sita. Laxman followed his
instruction and went to Valmiki's hermitage for the second time.
Meanwhile, Bhagwan Valmiki instructed Lav and Kush to sing the praise of
Sri Ram in their melodious voice. Everybody was moved by their soulful
rendition. Sri Ram took Lav and Kush in his embrace.

At her final meeting with her Lord, Sitaji was firm in her resolve -
never to be doubted again. With great confidence, she requested her
mother - Goddess Earth, to reclaim her and vindicate her in public -
Once and for all. When Mother Earth came to comfort her daughter, the
universe witnessed Sitaji's piety and blameless past.